ChiwetelEjiofor and LupitaNyong'o had to surrender to the injustices of 19th-century slavery, while MichaelFassbender had to live with the persona of a brutal sadist in 12 Years a Slave.

MatthewMcConaughey and JaredLeto faced up to impending death in Dallas Buyers Club -- as did MerylStreep as her life ebbed away in August: Osage County and SandraBullock as she spun out of control in Gravity. Others -- like BruceDern in Nebraska and CateBlanchett in Blue Jasmine -- had to contemplate what it feels like to slowly lose one's mind.

Even those movies that elicited more laughter required their characters to take it to the edge, whether it was ChristianBale, AmyAdams, BradleyCooper and JenniferLawrence out-conning one another in American Hustle or LeonardoDiCaprio and JonahHill spending a full week reenacting a drug-fueled wrestling match on the set of The Wolf of WallStreet.